Chapter 475: Strong Body Pill

In the Ministry of Works' rear courtyard, several new vehicles were parked.

There were sedan cars, trucks, tractors, and also a huge road roller.

Song Li pointed at the truck and said, "Prince, this is newly built this year, can carry five thousand jin, runs on diesel, can travel from Yingtian to Xuzhou in a day, much faster than a horse carriage, making grain and cargo transport convenient."

Zhu Yong walked over and patted the iron‑sheet cargo compartment of the truck.

The compartment was wrapped in iron sheet, lined with wooden planks, and covered with oilcloth.

If this thing becomes widespread, Great Ming's logistics could reach a new level.

Song Li again pointed at the tractor and said, "Prince, this is for plowing; with a plow attached at the back, it can till a hundred mu a day, more than ten times faster than an ox, and the large households in Jiangnan have already ordered dozens of them."

Zhu Yong nodded.

He had read about tractors in books in a previous life; indeed, this thing is more useful than an ox.

With tractors, Great Ming's grain output could rise another notch.

Song Li again pointed at the steam road roller and laughed, "Prince, this is for road construction; a single pass compacts the ground more firmly than a hundred people walking over it. Last year, the road from Yingtian to Suzhou was built using this."

Zhu Yong glanced at the road roller, then at the other vehicles beside it, and a vague, indescribable feeling rose in his heart.

It had been more than twenty years, from the first Loom Diagram in Hongwu Year Four, to the flintlock gun in Hongwu Year Six, plated armor in Hongwu Year Seven, steam engine in Hongwu Year Eight, potatoes, sweet potatoes and corn in Hongwu Year Nine, and penicillin and smallpox vaccine in Hongwu Year Ten.

Hongwu Year Eleven saw plastics, Year Twelve steel‑making methods, Year Thirteen cement, Year Fourteen high‑purity metal smelting, Year Fifteen miasma antidotes, Year Sixteen machine tools, Year Seventeen improved horse breeds, Year Eighteen breech‑loading cannons, Year Nineteen crossbred pigs, and Year Twenty internal‑combustion engines.

Hongwu Year Twenty‑One introduced seafood preservation methods, Year Twenty‑Two petroleum extraction, and Year Twenty‑Three the Strong Body Pill.

Step by step, they turned Great Ming from a newly founded, poor and weak nation into today's technologically powerful country.

"Minister Song, when will these vehicles be widespread across the realm?" Zhu Biao asked.

Song Li thought for a moment and said, "Prince, with the Ministry of Works' current output, we can produce five hundred sedans, one thousand trucks, and two thousand tractors per year. To equip the whole nation would take at least twenty years."

Twenty years is neither short nor long. But Zhu Biao was not in a hurry; after twenty years he would still be only in his fifties.

Having left the Ministry of Works, it was already afternoon.

Zhu Yong and Zhu Biao walked side by side along the palace walkway.

The setting sun sank in the west, dyeing the entire Imperial City golden.

"Second brother, what do you think Great Ming will be like in another twenty years?" Zhu Biao suddenly asked.

Zhu Yong thought for a moment and said slowly, "Trains will reach Europe, automobiles will reach America, every household will have surplus grain, everyone will have clothing, children will be able to read and write, and the elderly will have pensions."

Zhu Biao looked at him, smiled, patted his shoulder and said, "Second brother, the way you speak sounds more like an emperor than Imperial Father."

Zhu Yong shook his head and said, "Elder brother, I'm speaking the truth; these things will inevitably come to pass."

The two brothers walked side by side to the palace gate.

"Second brother, tomorrow is the fifteenth, bring Qiong Jiong and Qiong Wu to the Eastern Palace for a meal; your sister‑in‑law says she misses them."

Zhu Yong nodded, "Alright, I'll bring them tomorrow."

Returning to Wu Wang Fu, the sky was already nearing darkness.

Guanyin Nu was busy in the kitchen with Zhu Huanhuan, Zhu Qiong Jiong was lifting a stone lock in the courtyard, and Zhu Qiongwu crouched nearby watching, holding a small wooden hammer and mimicking his brother's swings.

Zhu Yong sat on the corridor, took the tea Hu Bo handed him, and took a sip.

In the past two years Hu Bo had grown old, needing a walking stick to get around, but his spirit remained fine, and he came to the residence daily for a stroll.

"Father, shall we go to Uncle's house for a meal tomorrow?" Zhu Qiong Jiong put down the stone lock and ran over.

Zhu Yong nodded, "Hmm, your aunt misses you."

Zhu Qiong Jiong grinned, "Aunt's braised pork is the best."

Zhu Huanhuan poked her head out of the kitchen and laughed, "Just always thinking about food."

Zhu Qiongwu also ran over, clinging to his father's thigh, looking up and saying in a baby‑like voice, "Father, I want to go too."

"Go, all…" Zhu Yong bent down and lifted his son.

Zhu Qiongwu hugged his neck, his small hand clutching the golden thread on his father's collar, muttering something.

Zhu Yong looked at his son, a faint smile curling his lips.

The child, just like his older brother when he was young, was full of vigor.

Guanyin Nu carried a plate of dishes out of the kitchen, set it on the table, and sat down beside him.

"Prince, tomorrow we enter the palace; bring those Strong Body Pills, Imperial Mother and Imperial Father should take them as well."

Zhu Yong nodded.

The Strong Body Pill was signed off on the first day of the first month of Hongwu Year Twenty‑Three; there are one hundred pills, each capable of strengthening the physique by thirty percent.

He took one, feeling his whole body brimming with energy, and even his old injuries no longer hurt.

Guanyin Nu also took one, and her skin had improved a lot lately.

"Mother, does the Strong Body Pill taste good?" Zhu Qiongwu looked up and asked.

Guanyin Nu teased, "Delicious, it's sweet."

"Then I also want to eat it."

Zhu Yong rubbed his head and said, "You can't have it now; wait until you grow up."

Zhu Qiongwu pouted and said nothing more.

Early the next morning, Zhu Yong took his wife and children and headed toward the Imperial City.

In Kunning Palace, Empress Ma was doing her makeup.

She was already in her early sixties, her hair still jet‑black, few wrinkles on her face, and her spirit was excellent.

Since taking the Strong Body Pill, she felt as if she had become ten years younger; her waist no longer ached, her legs didn't hurt, and she could walk without anyone's support.

"Imperial Mother, you look radiant today," Chang Wan said with a smile beside her.

Empress Ma laughed, "It's all thanks to the Strong Body Pill's effect. Yong Er, that child, brings good things from the White-bearded Old Man every year; we don't even know how to thank him."

Chang Wan shook her head, "Imperial Mother, Second brother is your son; honoring you is his duty. When you act so distant, he feels uneasy."

Empress Ma nodded, saying nothing more.

Zhu Yong entered Kunning Palace with his family, and Empress Ma quickly waved them over.

"Huan Huan, come over so Imperial Grandmother can see you," Empress Ma said, pulling Zhu Huanhuan's hand and looking her up and down.

Zhu Huanhuan is twenty‑one this year, standing graceful and elegant.

She wore a goose‑yellow summer dress, her hair braided into a single plait hanging behind her, standing there quietly; her brows and eyes resembled Guanyin Nu, and her temperament was similar.

"Huan Huan, which families has your mother matched you with?" Empress Ma asked with a smile.

Zhu Huanhuan's face flushed red, and she lowered her head without speaking.

Guanyin Nu said beside her, "Imperial Mother, it hasn't been decided yet! We're waiting for the prince to make a choice."

Empress Ma looked at Zhu Yong and said, "Yong Er, how old is your daughter, and you're still not anxious?"

Zhu Yong laughed, "Mother, why hurry? Huan Huan is only twenty‑one, still have time to choose."

"If you keep choosing, she'll become an old maid," Empress Ma scolded.

Hearing Empress Ma's words, Huan Huan's complexion grew even rosier, and the hall erupted in a burst of laughter.

Zhu Biao walked in from outside, laughing, "Imperial Mother, are you urging marriage again?"

Empress Ma glared at him, "How dare you say that? Your second brother's daughter is already this age, and your daughter Wenwen is also eighteen; why haven't you hurried to find her a husband?"

Zhu Biao touched his nose and chuckled awkwardly, "Imperial Mother, I am already looking into it."

Zhu Wenwen, her face flushed, hid behind Chang Wan.

Zhu Yuanzhang appeared at an unknown moment, standing at the hall entrance watching the whole family, a smile at the corner of his mouth.

"Zhong Ba, what are you doing standing at the door? Come in," Empress Ma beckoned.

Zhu Yuanzhang entered, sat on a chair, and looking at the packed hall of descendants, felt an indescribable sense of satisfaction.

"Father, how does the Strong Body Pill feel after you took it?" Zhu Yong asked.

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded, "Good, I'm more spirited than before. We've been pondering these past few days whether we should travel to Europe and see how Fourth Prince and Fifth Prince are governing over there."

"Imperial Father, you're going to Europe?" Zhu Biao was startled.

"What, not allowed? We've fought wars all our lives and never traveled far! Now the railway is open: three days from Yingtian to Lanzhou, the stretch from Lanzhou to Samarkand is also quick, and from Samarkand to Constantinople should be connected by next year.

A trip to Europe would only take a few months," Zhu Yuanzhang snorted.

Empress Ma said beside him, "Zhong Ba, if you go, I'll go too."

Zhu Yuanzhang glanced at his wife and laughed, "Fine, we'll all go."

At noon, a banquet was set up in Qianqing Palace.

Around a large round table, the family sat together.

Zhu Yuanzhang sat at the Main Seat, Empress Ma on his right, Zhu Biao on the left, and Zhu Yong beside Zhu Biao.

Chang Wan sat with the children at another table, lively and noisy.

Zhu Yuanzhang raised his wine cup, looked at Zhu Yong and said, "Yong Er, this cup is to you; Great Ming's present glory is thanks to your indispensable effort."

Zhu Yong stood up, earnestly saying, "Father, don't say that; I just did as you instructed."

"Sit down, sit down; in front of me, no need for those empty courtesies," Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand.

He paused briefly, then continued, "These years, the things you've brought back—Spinning Wheel, Salt Method, white sugar, Flintlock Gun, plate armor, Steam Engine, seeds, Penicillin, Cowpox, Alcohol, Cement, steel, Machine Tool, Horse Breed, rear‑mounted breech‑loading cannon, Hybrid Pig, Internal Combustion Engine, Seafood Preservation Method, Petroleum Extraction, Strong Body Pill…"

Each item, one by one, is a good thing that benefits the nation and its people.

The hall fell silent for a moment.

Zhu Yuanzhang took a deep breath, lifted his wine cup and drank it down in one gulp.

"Good! Good! Good!"

He said "good" three times in a row.

Empress Ma held Zhu Yong's hand and whispered, "Yong Er, you've endured many hardships these years; Mother feels heartache for you."

Zhu Yong shook his head, "Mother, it wasn't hard."

Empress Ma's eyes reddened again.

Zhu Biao laughed beside her, "Mother, the second brother has returned; you should be happy."

Empress Ma nodded, yet couldn't help wiping away tears.

When the banquet dispersed, it was already afternoon.

Zhu Yong led his family back. Zhu Qiongwu lay on his father's back, already asleep.

Zhu Qiongjiong carried the Wolf Fang Club ahead, his back straight as a pole. Zhu Huanhuan clasped her mother's hand, whispering something softly.

The setting sun sank in the west, dyeing the entire Imperial City a golden hue.

Outside the Yingtian Prefecture City construction site, workers were still feverishly laying railway tracks.

From Yingtian to Lanzhou, from Lanzhou to Samarkand, from Samarkand to Constantinople.

The railway stretches westward, and the train races forward.

This world is being changed little by little by Great Ming.